Charges against man dropped after US police permanently paralyze him
A $100 million lawsuit was filed against the police after they neglected the cries of pain of Randy Cox, whom is now permanently injured thanks to police negligence.
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New Haven police officers dragging Randy Cox into the detention center despite his cries of pain.
Police violence in the US has once again claimed another victim - one story out of many facing the relentless oppression of systemic violence.
After being paralyzed by the police, 36-year-old Randy Cox had all criminal charges against him dropped.
On June 19, Cox was arrested on charges of possessing an illegal handgun and was dragged into a police van without seatbelts, and headed to the detention center. The police officer driving the vehicle, Oscar Diaz, suddenly braked, causing Cox slid across the bench, his head hitting the van's wall.
Before stopping to check on Cox, Diaz resumed driving for almost 4 minutes. Cox was slumped at the back of the van, crying for help: “I can’t move,” Cox said, “I broke my neck.”
He was taken to the detention center where police officers told him to "sit up", to which he responded "I can't move." Cox was on the floor, incapable of movement.
“You’re not even trying,” the officer replied, after which Cox was dragged out of the van into a wheelchair which he kept slipping out of. Falling back onto the flood, an officer remarked, "He is perfectly fine."
The five officers involved in the neglectful situation are facing a $100 million federal lawsuit which has been filed on the behalf of the victim. They are on paid administrative leave because they're being investigated by the prosecutor's office. The lawsuit alleges negligence, carelessness and executive force against the officers.
According to the lawsuit, Cox has been left with severe injuries and damages, including a cervical spine fracture, permanent paralysis below his neck, permanent muscle atrophy and shortened life expectancy.
“The New Haven police department handled this incident horrifically from start to finish, and now they must answer for their conduct,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Cox.
“The decision to drop the charges against Randy was absolutely the right one, considering how gravely he was injured while in police custody and how obviously these officers had biases against him,” he added.
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